*OFFICIAL* Alienware Area-51M R1 Owner's Lounge

The issue seems to have been fixed by just removing completely AWCC and OC tools, rebooting and reinstalling the older versions again. What a buggy app!

 

Hi,

The Dell ones are difficult to find and even if you do, they are quite thin. I bit the bullet and bought 2 generic ones (black with fins).

Link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07K9MF25F/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_uFj0Cb4R53PTN

Was able to close the laptop up after that with no damage whatsoever. It did take a bit of pressing but absolutely nothing to worry about

 

I got my machine from HID and it is from the new batch.

 

It is under Dell's warranty, and you own the service tag. You can contact Dell (Alienware Support) directly if you wish.

 

@Papusan
Have you bought an A51M?

I see you post here all the time but it's always negative.
There isin't just negative about this laptop ... it's getting old seeing the same person say the same thing all the time and i mean ... all the time.
If you take your time to post all the negative i would hope you're decent enough to post some of the positive.

 

Not yet. But yeah, I'm looking for a replacement for my aging Clevo P870. And I read everything about laptops which I'm interested in. I always do my Due Dilligence whatever products I buy. As you know, I'm not interested in any notebook with soldered hardware. The Area has some good qualities but also some massive flaws that has to be fixed. Post only positive will not help the owners or possible buyers as etc me. See post below.

And yeah, I will of course post positive about the product. It contain what I want. Socketed hardware. Once again... BGA is a big no for me. Dell have come a good step forward with launching more than what they did before.

For the records. I post a lot and in many forum threads. I love tech.

 

I really like the ignore feature on this forum. Just saying.

 

For those that want a history lesson on AW:

Damn I missed the drama.

My own:

Mine also has this issue around the edge and I normally clean my laptop once a week. It's just the corners for now and the rest seems okay.

The white looks amazing but the black will fair better over time.

Well if we're talking about the Samsung Galaxy Note7, then I'm fairly certain they sold more of those than AW Area-51m. Not to mention, the Area-51m issue isn't as common as the Note 7 was.

 

The real kicker is that there are reported injuries (exploding in hand and in pocket) and Lawsuits on the Note 7.

 

I can confirm that Custom Fan profiles now work with BIOS 1.5

EDIT: Not really. The Timing is still Broken AF though. Fixed profile doesn't seem to work right if it gets hotter than 70 C

But the curves now sorta work

 

There wasn't much for drama, the post was removed as soon as it was found, it was clearly someone trolling.

 

There's no point in requesting a positive kumbaya when a flagship laptop has a fatal flaw with an undetermined failure rate, and the company producing the machine has gone completely radio silent.

Why stick your head in the sand? For what reason? There are only positive things to say because your 51M hasn't fallen victim as of yet.

Throw away the brand loyalty and see things for what they are. This is a bad situation.

 

besides worrying if it explodes now I also have to be careful if it fades!?

 

Still waiting for mine to explode. One week in and still going strong.

 

This little bugger turned out to be the culprit that was baking my palm rest area on the left side of track pad.



For now, I've completely taken this out physically and sacrificed my laptop speakers and headphone jack in doing so and now only using Bluetooth speakers. My palm rests are nice and cold now even while gaming, the way they should be. I'm thinking of getting this replaced and some sort of a thermal mod on the new one.

 

@Donald@HIDevolution must know what is going in with these blow ups.... They work closely with Dell, certainly HID is demanding answers from Dell considering majority of the burning machines that have come from HID ... What kind of answers did you guys get from Dell?
Is it inevitable that all the early releases will eventually blow up?... Sure seems like it now...

 

This has already been answered in this forum. The reason why lots of these at bowing up is because of first batch hardware still floating around in the market. And I've shared exactly what's fixed and what needs to be avoided if you're thinking of buying this laptop. Take a look at my older posts regarding Lemon parts in this thread.

 

I wonder if one of these going up in smoke could ground a flight. If you accidentally left the laptop on and it burned up in a cargo hold, surely they have smoke detectors? Most of the people buying this laptop are extensive travelers, I presume.

 

The 180w adapter gets way too hot under mild use. Anyone else having similar issues?

 

Yep noticed the same thing. During gaming it gets insanely hot to the point where it burns my hand if I hold it too long.


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Mine doesn't get too hot but it definitely gets hot enough. It should be expected from these tiny bricks. My lenovo x250 brick gets equally hot when charging that battery up from 0.

 

Figured it's about time I posted seeing as I've kept up with over 1000 pages and have yet to comment, lol.

So I pre-ordered this laptop the day after it was announced with the specs as follows:
9700k, RTX 2080, lowest RAM/HDD: On arrival swapped with my 64 GB 2800 MHz RAM + my 4 TB worth of SSD availability (3 drives, 2 m.2)
1920x1080 144hz AUO Panel. (also swapped my NIC with the new Killer 1650 yesterday)

So after having owned this for over 2 months, I feel I've got a decent feel for this model.
I really enjoy the design and sleek look. White or dark doesn't matter, they both look great. I got white and it looks brand new still (even around the edges). Performance is pretty good, and although I still have major gripes with AWCC I find it better overall vs the Clevo software in my P870. My last AW was the AW18 which I had sold to a friend so it's nice playing with E.T again. The internal design seems better than some of the previous models, super easy to dive into everything and tinker. Was tempted to order through HID like my Clevo, but just decided to mess with the cooling myself (haven't done delidding yet, not sure if I will). In heaving gaming CPU temps max out at 75c and GPU at 69-70c. Tried using LM Ultra and saw marginal gains from that (GPU saw decent gains) before I realized it was super dated (also barely had enough). Ordered LM Extreme and may try that soon. Replaced thermal pads with arctic and running the trusty Phoyba NanoGrease (love the viscosity on it).

As for the cons:
How on earth does this thing not support at least 2666+ RAM? My years old Clevo could support 2800 in its sleep. The time it takes for these fans to spool up makes you think they'll flush the heat off the heatsink instantly, yet you're left going ??? (I leave mine in performance mode, but when I'm with clients I run it on a lower setting) CPU cooling could definitely be better as well, though the GPU side tackles just fine. This may be one of those 'design over functionality' elements, as the shape is a bit different and I can feel the weight reduction compared to other models. A simple case of what you prefer if you will. Despite running as a first batch this thing shows no signs of any problems at all, and I've already taken it with me on business trips, ran heavy gaming sessions and all.

Not sure if I consider it a 'massive upgrade' over my P870, which is one of the best laptops I've owned (despite getting burned with the 1080 FF not complimenting the 980 model). I had thoughts of returning it, but I got a 10% discount and my company paid 1,000 towards the purchase so there is that hah! It is a good non-BGA laptop though so I decided to keep it, hopefully with more work it becomes 'great'.

 

Nice to have another monster laptop fan posting his review here. I hope you enjoy your machine without issues going forward in the future. Although if I were in your place, I'd definitely take mine apart after seeing all the info that has been shared here regarding various parts and power components etc to see if I'm running a time bomb.

 

Overheating soundcard? First time I've seen this in any laptop.

 

I'm not sticking my head in the sand, this topic has 1,000+ pages of people posting their experiences with the laptop.
Major flaws can happen with any company when releasing flagship model Samsung (S7,fold), Apple (Bendgate), Microsoft (ROD), etc etc ...

I think it's safe to say at this point that people know there is an issue with first batch GPU/Power delivery.
And i think it's safe to say that this has now been fixed and there are satisfied user.

I've had MSI,Asus,Acer,Eurocom, and Alienware.
To be honnest i don't even care about Dell/Alienware, i used to hate them and their soldered laptop.
I still bought this laptop because i tought i'd give them a shot and see how it performs and i must admit that this laptop is a beast.
Don't get me wrong it sucks that people have had to pay 4,000$ for a laptop with dieing GPU but they are getting fixed. Dell haven't been the most transparant when it comes to communicating what's going on with the burning laptop but they've been listening and communicating when it comes to everything else ... I think they have good intention with this unit and unlike some people here i'm not an Alienware hater and i'm willing to give them full benefit and so far except for the GPU problem (Which i don't have) i'm highly satisfied with my unit.

Life isin't just Black and White.

 

If your dumb enough to check this in and not take it as carry on then chances are it will be crushed in the baggage compartment before it blows smoke. Baggage handlers are NOT careful with your luggage, checking in a laptop , especially one this expensive is just throwing your money in a blender.

 

WHO TF carries their laptop as baggage?!

 

My temps are getting progressively worse with each passing day. Bit disappointed.

R6 Siege - without a doubt - is the most CPU intensive game I've played; moreso than even Anthem or BFV; so at the very least, it should only be "better from here." But the temps are still unacceptable.

9900k at 4.8Ghz with a -136 UV is stable. I can get higher (5Ghz+) with more voltage, but I'm trying to chase solid temps without just completely handicapping my clocks.

I was averaging about 75c on this game, with occasional spikes to 85+, and every great once in a while like 91 at it would instantly drop down (no throttling). This was true even with long gaming sessions. Now I'm hovering at 80c+, and it just keeps climbing and climbing over the course of an hour until I'm living in the 90s and hitting 99c (and throttling) every few minutes. Ugh.

I'm still on stock paste, so I suppose I'll take things out and actually repaste this weekend. But with a -136 UV playing games (not synthetic benchmarks) I feel like I should be able to easily stay under 90c. A bit bummed, but hoping I just uncover a ****ty paste job.


***

Did we all agree on how much thermal pad we need for VRMs, etc? I know we said 1mm and 1.5mm... Is a 50x50 of each enough? Do I need more?

 

Stock paste is a NO-GO for 9900K.

 

A couple of questions:

1)How do you know it's fixed? Was there a tweet from Dell? Just wondering if I missed something,

Just as you say, Dell has NOT been transparent on this issue, and it seems to be causing confusion - even here in this thread. I think something official is necessary to put this to rest.

2) Just because someone posts regarding shortcomings based on facts (which some are calling negative) and not lies or opinions doesn't make them a Dell hater. This current revision of the Area51m has some issues right now, and I appreciate any news, good or bad, while waiting to see if they're addressed in a new revision before recommending or deciding to pull the trigger.

 

Try going through the older posts.
http://forum.notebookreview.com/thr...m-owners-lounge.826831/page-922#post-10902592

And, I agree about the transparency part 100%. I have a whole list of things that I still haven't tagged frank in on twitter (yet), purely out of good will and giving them a chance to do the right thing. But if this drama continues then I guess we have plenty of people here who can force Dell to issue a recall on all of the bad first batch machines through a modest social media campaign.

 

Yeah, I saw your post. And I mean no offense, but that was a fix for your card. Does that apply to others? I don't recall if you mentioned if you had a flame out /dead laptop as well?

And while it might be likely this is the problem with other units that have died, I'd feel better with confirmation directly from Dell they found and addressed a known problem.

 

I think the post that I made in the above link is enough for any electrical engineer to understand what was the reason behind cards blowing up left right and center. That's a solid enough proof for me that they have upgraded stuff. Even if they don't say anything, that's fine. Competitors might make bad memes about their mistakes so it's understandable. But what's not fine is no recall and bad batch parts freely floating around in the market!

 

Is it ok if I use two 330W adapters?

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I don't think there will ever be a recall on this system and I am quite sure Dell/AW will never release an official statement on this matter. They'll just let the system burn out, replace the parts or if the customer is pissed, will give a slight "upgrade" during system replacements and sweep the dust from under the carpet. It sounds unethical but most businesses run under this business model.

Since you bought from Hidevolution, I've a few questions for you.
1. I've removed the default Dell SSD and the mechanical hard drive through Hidevolution and upgraded the RAM and the boot drive to 1TB SSD. What happens if my system dies and I've been sanctioned for a replacement laptop? Do I have to send my upgraded RAM and SSD back to Dell? Will Hidevolution send me another ran stick and new drive? I'm quite sure my laptop will die at least once(I never turn off my laptop, its ON 24×7) before this debacle is put to rest. Now I'm unsure about what warranty I'll receive from both parties.
2. Why don't you post your findings about the lemon parts to Azor and Dell Cares? You're the only who has invested on this and have claimed that Dell have updated their new GPUs.

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1: You don't need to send Dell anything. Call them to your house instead and make them send you the parts that you need instead of giving them the entire machine (I personally do it that way and find it better).
2: I will do it, after I am done ironing out all the glitches with my machine, the latest one being the audio daughter board getting hot to a point where left palm rest is uncomfortable to rest my hand on for longer than a few minutes.

Once I'm done settling things, I will tag them on twitter, definitely!

It should be fine, but then you'll be relying more on the motherboard's power components to control the power draw instead of relying on the PSU's as under normal circumstances they would bottleneck at roughly the max power draw that should go into this machine under load conditions. Anything above that goes into this setup through a faulty power controller and ka-boooom! I will test out the eurocom PSU just for fun after I'm done with all the glitches and if that thing works, I will keep that on my office desk and the original ones on my home desk and just travel with the laptop alone.

 

Looks like someone with what you mentioned as the enhanced GPU also caught fire.
So maybe there is no "improved batch" at all, Dell just didn't take this seriously

 

Nope. These are smaller shunts. They are not bulky enough like the ones that I have on my card. Plus, the mosfets are hidden so can't say which batch it is. The printing label on these resistors doesn't matter and the font/style may widely vary. The only thing that matters is the wattage and resistance.

 

You are the only person I have seen call Rainbow 6: Seige a demanding game on either the CPU or GPU.

 

@S.K @VoodooChild some one already showed Frank the old and new GPU, he pretty much said that parts are always being revised.

https://twitter.com/gregory_craane/status/1121318382723391488?s=09

 

They do not and neither do they extend your warranty over the weeks that the PC is under repairs, therefore the best and only correct option is to return the laptop at the first sign of trouble if you are within the refund period.

 

@S.K What conditions did you get your sound board to overheat? I might attempt to replicate it while I am still in the first 30 days.

Been trying to force my GPU to melt through usage and system is still holding up (Tarkov, PUBG, Div2, Metro Exodus at ultra with OC). If I open it, the paste job I did would go to waste and I would have to wait for my new stuff to ship in (ran out).

Edit: Apparently... I have warranty through HIDevolution and Dell through my service tag...

Edit 2: Placed an order for the Eurocom 780w from vendor since I couldn’t trust ebay sellers for authentic product. Its more expensive, but I could get the cable lengths changed and added velcro plus added security knowing they wouldn’t tamper the product and destroy my machine.

 

Just plug in your regular mobile hands free that comes with a microphone built-in and select "headphone with microphone" when Win10 asks you about the type of accessory that you have plugged in and use it for gaming. Nothing crazy as you can see. I have ordered oven grade mica sheets to insulate my palm rests from underneath in any case so that I can improve my user experience. I will insulate the entire underside of battery, sound card and the underside of the 2nd SSD in order to keep heat away from the area where my hands touch.

My current GPU settings which I'm still working on to improve max power with minimum temperature. Once I figure out the sweet spot, I'll stop there and put liquid metal on it.

Direct link to picture: https://ibb.co/4ZqyXwS

 

I managed to reach 2020MHz at 1075. GPU showed no issues and may be able to further optimize.

 

My main concern are the temps. What temps are you getting on yours?

 

This is exactly my line of thinking. Use the system for the first month like you've be never used a computer before. Keep stressing it to the point of oblivion. If it holds up for the first 3 weeks, you're all set! If it doesn't, time to speak to the call center chums from India and stay on line for hours on end until you get the replacement with a upgrade thrown in. Or message Frank on Twitter and speed up the escalation process.

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77C when using the 2020MHz profile on Full Speed fans.

 

I'm talking about gaming temps. On heaven I get different temps that are lower than gaming temps. Playing Sniper Elite 4 with ultra settings often pushes the gpu to the wall.

 

Yes I use from day 1, my 180 had only 1min on time lol

 

I just wish you luck with your laptop from dell. As I was lied into my own face by dell's customer service team AT LEAST 10 TIMES, I will just get away from their products and get the products from someone out here who do seriously care their business. For thunderbolt , I think you need to update your bios . Or you can try their so so called premium support which you had already paid for. some of their team member from Malaysia would be helpful.

if you paid for the accidental damage insurance , you will get the insurance company to support you instead of dell. this is the best scenario I could image. Or from dell premium or pro support , you will need to rely on your luck to get a guy who might be helpful to you.

 

How high the back elevation on this laptop? Looking at the pictures and videos of the system (I've never seen it in person), it looks like there is sufficient height for ample airflow at the back of the laptop unlike older AW designs. Do you use a stand or a cooler?

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